Trent Rockets suffered a six-wicket defeat to Southern Brave at Trent Bridge on 10 August 2026, leaving them uncertain whether they will finish top of the table and secure an automatic route into The Hundred final. Chasing 159 to win, Southern Brave got home with three balls remaining thanks to an unbeaten half-century from Tristan Stubbs, despite already being eliminated from knockout contention themselves.
According to the official scorecard, this was the 29th match of The Hundred Men's Competition 2026, with Southern Brave winning the toss and electing to field first, a detail not previously confirmed. Trent Rockets posted 158 for 5 from their 100 balls before Brave replied with 159 for 4 from 97 balls.
How did the chase unfold?
Marcus Stoinis and Stubbs put on 70 runs together for the fourth wicket to drag Brave back into contention after Trent Rockets had set what looked a defendable target. Stoinis, the Australian all-rounder, struck four fours and three sixes in a rapid 46 off 25 balls before he mistimed a full toss from Ben Sanderson and was caught during the penultimate set.
With eight runs still needed from the final five balls bowled by Lewis Gregory, Stubbs and Nikhil Chaudhary calmly closed out the win. Stubbs finished the job in style, clearing square leg for six off Gregory to end unbeaten on 52 from 28 balls, an innings built on four fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 185.71.
How did Trent Rockets build their total?
Earlier in the day, the Rockets' top order all made useful contributions to post a total that appeared competitive on a Trent Bridge pitch. Mitchell Santner was the standout performer, finishing unbeaten on 35 from 23 balls as he combined with Gregory, who made 28 not out from 18 balls, in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand worth 66 runs.
Southern Brave shared the wickets around five different bowlers, with captain Chris Jordan producing a standout delivery to end Finn Allen's aggressive innings on 23 with a perfectly executed yorker. It proved a difficult outing for 17-year-old seamer Manny Lumsden, whose opening set of five balls cost 19 runs and who was not brought back into the attack.
Where does this leave the table?
The defeat means Sunrisers Leeds, who trail the Rockets by four points, have a chance to leapfrog them into top spot if they beat Manchester Super Giants at Old Trafford on Tuesday. Should the two sides finish level on 24 points, the standings will be settled by net run-rate, a metric that currently favours the Sunrisers at 1.094 compared with the Rockets' 0.740.
Per ESPN's tournament data, Trent Rockets end the league phase with seven matches played, six wins, one defeat and 24 points, while Southern Brave close out their campaign with seven matches, two wins, five losses and eight points.
What is the history between these two sides?
The rivalry between Trent Rockets and Southern Brave has produced contrasting results in recent seasons. ESPN's head-to-head figures show Trent Rockets won their meetings in 2025 and 2023, while Southern Brave came out on top in 2024, 2022 and 2021.
In last year's encounter, detailed by a cricket statistics service, Trent Rockets won by four wickets at Nottingham. That chase was steered by Toms Banton and Joe Moores, who scored 49 and 55 respectively, according to the accompanying match report.
The women's side of the Trent Rockets franchise has had a stronger run through this year's competition. Their qualification for the knockouts was effectively confirmed by Nat Sciver-Brunt's unbeaten 67 in a nine-wicket win over MI London, building on a five-run victory over defending champions Sunrisers Leeds in which Sophia Dunkley and Annabel Sutherland starred. Southern Brave's women's team, by contrast, had earlier beaten Sunrisers Leeds by five wickets behind an unbeaten 42 from Jemimah Rodrigues, as covered in a separate report on that fixture.
What happens next?
The immediate outcome for Trent Rockets rests on Tuesday's fixtures at Old Trafford. In the women's match at 15:00 BST, the winner between Manchester Super Giants and Sunrisers Leeds will book a place in the Eliminator against Southern Brave, while a tie or no result would send the Super Giants through instead.
In the men's match at 18:30 BST, Sunrisers Leeds will guarantee their place in the knockout phase with any win over Manchester Super Giants, who themselves must win to keep alive their hopes of finishing in the top three. The final margin of Trent Rockets' defeat, sealed by Southern Brave's chase of 159, means the Rockets' pursuit of an automatic final berth now depends entirely on how that Old Trafford contest unfolds.
Key Facts
- Southern Brave beat Trent Rockets by six wickets at Trent Bridge on 10 August 2026, chasing 159 with three balls to spare.
- Tristan Stubbs finished unbeaten on 52 from 28 balls, sealing the win with a six off Lewis Gregory.
- Marcus Stoinis made 46 off 25 balls in a 70-run fourth-wicket stand with Stubbs before being caught off Ben Sanderson.
- Mitchell Santner top-scored for the Rockets with an unbeaten 35 from 23 balls, sharing a 66-run stand with Lewis Gregory.
- Trent Rockets finish the league stage with 24 points from seven matches; Sunrisers Leeds can overtake them by beating Manchester Super Giants at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
